Viola never expected to enjoy the night walk with Nick nor the pleasant food they had, but she did, especially since he was an expert at making her smile and laugh. Though she couldn’t finish all of her food, she had eaten more than enough, and Nick got her a popsicle as they walked back to the skyscraper together, the night life all around them.
The nightlife of Silver City was beautiful. During the day, the city was truly prosperous and filled with attractions, where one could admire the magnificent and modern skyscrapers and stunning architectural structures. But nightti was when the city truly shone, literally.
She couldn’t help but admire the sidewalk, lined with beautiful cherry blossom trees on both sides. The pathway was lit by street lamps that stretched into the distance, their warm lights mingling with the city lights and shimring like sparkling diamonds.
Diamonds. Viola felt a sour taste rise to her throat as the thought reminded her of Sebastian and what he must be doing with his other mate by now.
"Are you alright?" Nick, who was walking beside her, asked. "You have been awfully quiet since we left the restaurant." He pointed out, turning to look at her, she was dragging her sandal-clad feet across the brick sidewalk, absently scattering the pink cherry blossom petals that had fallen along their path.
He could also sense how troubled she was and seed so deep in thought.
Viola mustered a smile as she replied, "I am fine. I am just admiring how beautiful Silver City is at night. It slls so refreshing." She mused, looking up at the faint flicker of lightning in the night sky, trying to act nonchalant.
"I see," Nick remarked gently, looking up at the sky, and then noticing how she shivered when a gust of wind blew in their direction. Without a word, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She was startled by the gesture but smiled and accepted it with a quiet, "Thanks."
"So are you going to tell what’s bothering you?" He asked, watching as she hugged his coat around herself, and he felt imnsely pleased.
Viola hugged the coat and subconsciously inhaled the scent on it, only to realize it didn’t belong to the person who always gave her his coat. She released her grip on it, feeling suddenly and quietly sad.
"Nothing," she said.
"Did my cousin do sothing to upset you?" Nick asked, his brows pulling together, because he wouldn’t tolerate anyone hurting soone he considered his person, not even if that person was his terrifying cousin.
Viola looked at him, startled. "What? No, I am not thinking about him. Why would I be thinking about him?" She asked quickly, not even realizing what her own words had implied until Nick pointed out,
"I didn’t say you were thinking about him, I was asking if he hurt you." Nick’s frown deepened, creasing his forehead as a thought crossed his mind. Was she thinking about the Alpha? Had she started to like him? But she’s not supposed to like him, he is cursed...
"Oh..." Viola mused, blushing in embarrassnt. "He didn’t hurt ." Not literally, but I am feeling hurt. My heart feels so heavy and my stomach is restless, she thought internally, keeping the words to herself as those feelings were still confusing to her, because it had never even felt like this with Evan.
"Then what is it?" Nick pressed, wanting to know what was wrong. "You said you liked popsicles and yours has completely lted in your hand, Vee. You haven’t taken even a single bite." He pointed to the forgotten, lted popsicle stick dripping in her hand, and Viola looked down, let go of the stick, and wiped her hand clean with the handkerchief Nick handed to her.
Deciding to steer away from this dangerous topic about his cousin, Viola asked instead, "I wanted to ask you sothing, Nick. I plan to journey to Nightshade Pack after my ceremony to deal with so personal things. You are the second person I trust, apart from Zoe, but Zoe can’t co with , so I want to ask if you will accompany there?"
Nick was taken aback by her request. Nightshade Pack? The poorest and most forgotten pack in the world? He thought, but seeing the look in her blue eyes and hearing that she trusted him, Nick didn’t even ask what she wanted to go there for. He simply gave her a nod. "Sure. Anything for you, Vee."
Viola smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she said, "Thanks."
A few minutes later, Viola was left alone outside the skyscraper. She had told Nick she wanted to be alone and that he should go ahead inside, and even though he had insisted on waiting with her, Viola had gently pushed him to leave her be.
She liked the scent of rain, that clean earthy sll that rose from the ground, and she stood there watching the flashes of lightning crack across the night sky as the wind slowly began to pick up around her. Viola remained standing there until the first fat raindrop fell on her forehead, and then another landed on the hand she had stretched out.
She closed her eyes to savor the mont, but she suddenly felt as though soone had tapped her shoulder and she snapped her eyes open and whirled around, only to find no one standing behind her. A shiver crawled down her spine, as the tap had felt so real. She would have dismissed it as a raindrop, but no raindrop could carry such weight.
Had she imagined it?
As the rain fell on her more steadily, Viola didn’t notice that her blue eyes were flashing gold, nor that everything was becoming blurry even with her glasses on. She looked around her warily, but apart from the warm glow of the street lamps and the silent streets veiled in a haze of rainfall, there was no one around her.
She was suddenly consud by a fear she couldn’t put a finger on, as goosebumps rose along the lines of her arms and the back of her neck, and without wasting another mont standing outside, she turned and ran back into the building, desperate to be far away from whatever was out there.
As Viola ran, a transparent figure stood in the very spot she had been standing a mont ago, sothing that looked like a shape made of rippling water, watching her back disappear through the building’s entrance. Then slowly, silently, it lted down into puddles that mixed with the rain now gathering on the ground, as though it had never been there at all.
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